


get your hopes up on that sunrise

by popoyoy11



Series: good habits [5]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Bat Brothers, Bat Family, Batfamily Feels, Fluff, Gen, so much mcfucking fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-25 16:59:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12040266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/popoyoy11/pseuds/popoyoy11
Summary: And Tim’s not just talking about Jason now, he’s talking about them. The family. Because things are never okay between them—that’s kind of the default for their fucked up clan—but lately it’s been different.Or the one where Jason gets accepted to college, so congratulations are in order.





	get your hopes up on that sunrise

**Author's Note:**

> What's up my babes! 'Tis I, popoy, back from the dead to post a work in this series! Med school got me fucked up like honestly, 0/10, would not recommend. Please understand that English is not my first language and that some characterizations might be off (forgive me). This started as a drabble about Damian getting accepted to college and it was going to be in the space between seconds, but then it got long and I was like, 'eh, fuck it' and decided to post it as its own work! If you notice any mistakes, feel free to point them out to me!

“I can’t believe my little bro is going to go to college.”

Dick bends down to ruffle at Jason’s hair. Jason would try to swat his hands off but he doesn’t think a seventh time is going to make a difference, so he keeps them on his knees. He tries to duck, though, as _some_ form of rebuke, can't have Dick thinking it's okay to treat Jason like he's still seven.

“I’m so proud of you, our family’s only academic!” Dick beams. “I’ll finally have a little brother who’ll be a professor,” he says, as if in awe. He gives out a fond sigh and pretends to wipe a single tear from his eye.

Jason rolls his eyes but smiles despite himself, Dick’s grin is too contagious. He leans back on the couch and takes a good look at the paper in his hands once again. Reading the whole thing from top to bottom to make sure there wasn’t any mistake, that this really was happening. That _Jason Peter Todd_ is really written in a neat cursive on the middle of that letter.

“It’s just for a bachelor’s, Dick, don’t get any funny ideas,” Jason commented, picking up the envelope from the table and studying the university’s emblem embossed on the back. It's shiny. Not the gunmetal kind that Jason is used to. It's--elegant. Posh. High society.

_Snotty._

“‘sides, little demon’s got a long way to go," Jason adds.

Dick flails. “Are you kidding me? With your brain you’ll have a doctorate in five years. Five years Jay, mark my words.”

The door slams open suddenly. Damian is there, glaring at both Jason and Dick in anger. “All your noise has interrupted my reading,” Damian announces, his face set in that almost-permanent scowl, but the boy's eyes widen when he notices the paper in Jason's hand. He looks pointedly at Jason, the paper, and Dick.

“I demand to know what’s going on.”

Dick snatches the paper from Jason’s hands before Jason could get a word in and quite literally parkours his way across the living room.

“Look, Jason got accepted!”

Damian skims over the paper held in front of his face and raises an eyebrow. He stares at Jason. “Congratulations are in order, I suppose.”

Jason smirks. “No little snip from you bat-boy? I’m surprised.”

Damian hums, waves a hand in the air and moves to sit on the couch across of Jason. “It’s a good university, I approve of it.”

Jason laughs. He’s smiling so hard he feels like his face might split.

-

Tim shows up next with Steph. The girl barging into his safehouse without so much as a knock. Tim follows behind her a polite three-steps away, even managing to close the door after himself. Steph gives Jason a hug that probably squeezed half of his life out of his body. Jason appreciates it though; he likes a girl who can literally lift him off his feet.

“Dude you’re the coolest person in the family now,” Steph remarks, holds her fist out to bump. “Like the coolest, you officially beat Cass, even.”

Jason knocks his fist with hers. “I’m truly honored to receive that title.”

“Have you called her yet? Cass?” Tim asks from where he’s leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest and head tilted.

“Yeah, I did right after I got the letter.”

“Have you told Bruce yet?”

Jason meets his stare head on, raises his eyebrows and shrugs.

Steph winces slightly. “Uh-oh.”

Tim sighs, massaging his temple. He looks more put upon than that time Jason accidentally laundried his iPhone.

“Tell him, Jay.”

-

“Hey Alf, you seen Bruce anywhere?”

Jason strolls into the kitchen and is immediately hit with the smell of rosemary and thyme, and a little hint of basil. His mouth waters and his stomach grumbles noisily. Whatever Alfred’s cooking, he’s staying for a plate. Jason sits down on a stool, and stretches his arms out, cradling his chin in one hand.

“I believe you can find Master Bruce having dinner in the cave,” Alfred replies, not looking up from his cooking. “If you can call ignoring the food put in front of you as having dinner, that is,” he adds as an afterthought.

Jason snorts. “He’s got no respect for your cooking Alfred, stop feeding him.”

Alfred puts a hand on his hip and sighs. “I ought to, oughtn’t I? Alas, Mr. and Mrs. Wayne—God bless their souls—would roll in their graves if I do so.”

“Hey have you heard--?” Jason starts hesitantly. He hasn’t told Alfred yet, and he instantly regrets it. It’s been a whole day since he got the letter, he should’ve come sooner.

Alfred turns to look at him now, a proud smile growing on his face. He turns off the stove and walks over to him. “Yes, my boy, of course I have.” Alfred’s arms wound around him in a warm hug. “Congratulations, Master Jason, I have never been more proud,” Alfred whispers.

If you ask him later, Jason will tell you he got something in his eyes, that’s why he was wiping at them.

For now though, he sniffs and says, “Thanks, Alf," with only the littlest crack in his voice.

-

Despite what everybody thinks, Jason is not reckless. He takes some risks, sure, but he calculates. He’s as good as Tim is—well, not _that_ good. He’s at least somewhat better than Dick is at counting the odds.

That’s why he’s perched on his favorite gargoyle, on his fifth round of consequent patrol that week, instead of being in the manor, talking to a _specific_ person.

He hears the line snapping and a body swinging on it before he sees them. Red Robin approaches Jason from behind, settling beside him quietly, his black-booted feet dangling dangerously from the ledge.

“Stop feeling all over the place, I might catch it,” Tim remarks, face scrunched up in disgust behind his domino.

“Yeah well, it’s my gargoyle. It’s a quarantined zone and you chose to be in it, so.” Jason shrugs.

“I think I’ll leave if I have to risk my death to have a conversation with an emo teen.”

Jason whips his head around and gapes. “The fuck did you just call me?”

“You literally just called this place your brooding zone,” Tim points out.

Jason contemplates that and huffs, runs a hand over his face.

They sit in a comfortable silence until Jason breaks it with a sudden “Tim?”

“Yeah?”

“You ever felt like things are getting _too_ good?”

Tim doesn’t answer.

Jason continues anyway. “Like—things are too good to be true. Like everything might just blow up in your face in a second? Like the rug is going to be pulled from under you. Like the calm before a storm,” Jason laughs mockingly, taps his fingers on his helmet next to him, “you know shit’s coming but it doesn’t come, and my luck is too bad to have postponed it for so long.”

Jason sighs, resigned. He carefully observed the familiar outline of Gotham, mapping the places he’d been and the places he hasn’t.

“I’m gonna fucking die again, aren’t I?”

Jason doesn’t expect a reply. So he’s surprised when—after a beat—he hears a quiet “no” coming out from the person beside him.

“Then how?" Jason begins. "How do you explain it, Tim?” he asks, desperate.

Tim doesn’t answer, he just keeps looking straight ahead at the city, jaw locked together, gloved hands fiddling his retractable bo staff.

Jason leaves it. 

“I think," Tim speaks up unexpectedly, "I think you’re just scared, Jay,” he says, slow, testing the words in his mouth. 

He sits up straighter, and Jason is reminded of the little boy he was when they’d met. How the steel of that spine met his blows and doesn’t break, doesn’t bend. Just keeps on going.

“And that’s fine,” Tim continues, “that’s okay, but you’ll be okay, you know? Life owes you so much and you deserve this.” Tim pauses, takes a breath. “We deserve this, we do.”

And Tim’s not just talking about Jason now, he’s talking about them. The family. Because things are never okay between them—that’s kind of the default for their fucked up clan—but lately it’s been different. Nobody’s dead and nobody’s estranged. He and Bruce still have their differences but they mostly work it out (if not talking to each other counts as _working it out_ ).

Things are—more or less—too good to be true.

Jason is understandably cautious.

“Yeah, I guess we do, huh.”

“We really do.” Tim sighs.

They don’t say anything anymore. They just sit there for a while until the hairs on Jason’s arms are standing from the wind. Tim gets up first, dusting invisible dirt off his costume.

“Tell Bruce, Jay. You’re gonna be fine.” He says just before the grapple hook takes him away.

Jason gives out a long exhale. He hates it when Tim is right.

-

When it happens, it would seem so small from someone else’s perspective. But for Jason it’s even bigger than getting that letter of acceptance. They’re in the cave, Jason is last to go because he was in charge that night, he still stinks of sweat and smoke and the sewers. Bruce has his cowl pushed back, fingers flying across the bat-computer keyboard when he suddenly stops. His chair swivels around and he steeples his fingers together, staring at Jason like he’s ten all over again and he just fucked up on his last patrol.

“Jason,” Bruce calls out once.

Jason frowns but moves closer to stand near Bruce. “Yeah?”

Bruce stands up and purses his mouth, thoughtful. He doesn’t look angry but he’s _thinking._ That’s already ringing a few bells in Jason’s head. But Bruce’s face calms and his shoulders relax; a light smile plays on his lips.

He puts a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “I heard you got accepted, congratulations. I’m very proud of you.” He says, smoothly, like it doesn’t mean _anything_ at all.

As if complementing Jason is a daily activity.

Jason’s throat constricts, his heart feels too big for his body, like it might explode. “Thanks,” he manages.

Bruce hugs him, a brief one armed hug and a pat on the back and goes back to sit down.

Jason swallows around the lump in his throat. He feels warm, like he's about to combust on the spot.

“They have a campus just outside of town, right? Will you be attending that one?” Bruce asks, glancing up at Jason expectantly.

Jason leans against the bat-computer desk; he might fall if he doesn’t.

“Yeah, I’ll be commuting with the motorcycle.”

“Oh? You’re not going to take the dorm?”

“Nah,” Jason shrugs. “I’ve been through hell before, thanks. I don’t think I want seconds.”

-

They have a formal family dinner when Cass comes home.

Well, it’s more of an eating-takeouts-on-a-rooftop kind of dinner but it’s the thought that counts. Cass jumps onto Jason’s back and uses her brother as her personal vehicle throughout the whole thing.

“Shit, Cass, not to be rude, but you’re not exactly _light_ , y’know.” Jason groans.

Cass tightens her grip on his torso. “Are you calling me _fat?_ ” She threatens.

“No. I’m saying your armor is god _fucking_ heavy.”

“Oh,” she quips. “Not safe without armor, though.”

Jason groans again.

“I’m gonna miss you,” Cass whispers quietly in his ear. Dick is starting a game of rooftop tag five meters away, Damian’s screaming bloody murder at him, accusing the former Robin of cheating.

Jason sighs. “The campus is right outside of town; I’ll still live in Gotham.”

“You’ll be too busy to hang out with me. Still.”

“You can visit me if you want to, you know?”

Beside them Tim knocks Damian’s head and runs away. Swinging away from their current roof to another one, expanding the game territory.

Cass waits a beat before asking, as if she was really mulling it over, when Jason knows that this is exactly what she wanted out of the conversation.

“Deal?” She asks. He appreciates that she tries to sound doubtful about it.

“Deal.”

“It’s a promise.” Cass says. She gets off of him looking positively delighted.

She pats her brother on the cheek. “Bruce will miss you too,” Cass comments.

Jason takes a glance at Batman on the corner, murmuring into his comms to someone, pointedly ignoring the ruckus his kids are making behind him. He’s probably talking to the Justice League, he has the patented ‘I’m-disappointed-in-you-Clark’ frown on his face.

Jason snorts.

“You know what? This time I might actually believe you.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Did you enjoy it? I bet you do ;) So please leave a comment below, it would make my whole week! 
> 
> Visit me on my [tumblr](http://p-p-poy.tumblr.com/)  
> or check out my [DC sideblog](http://sneakytimmytime.tumblr.com/)


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